Sights of a Minnesota Gardener

Gardening is a labor of love. Spring comes & I am on a mission to do my part to keep our family eating well with the freshest produce we can get. 

Hummingbirds frequent our backyard & have for years.  This is the first year we've had a feeder out & so far these are the only birds that are snatching up the dripping nectar. I was amazed to hear that you are supposed to clean & replace the nectar in the feeders every 2 days. That's crazy right?! Others have said they only clean it when it's empty - I have settled on doing it once a week. 

The nectar in the feeder is clear. I'm not convinced that "red on the feeder" alone is enough, so I'm getting some red nectar to mix with the clear to see if that makes the hummingbirds come more quickly. I bought another feeder with a bottle that is blue, but now looking back on the decision, I shouldn't have chosen that one! I put together a red floral arrangement as well - hoping that the hummingbirds love it as much as I do.

The Clematis are blooming.

The peonies were gorgeous.

Even sneaked a few pics of the neighbor's varieties - so different than ours.

This is one of the stinkers eating on the plants in our landscape  

- also enjoying our plush grass.

Therefore the best of the produce is grown on the deck - far out of reach for big eyes like these, although the squirrels now venture up to steal a tomato or two quite often.

A small sampling of the plants from seed we have going: Flowering Eggplant (from Tyrant Farms)

FLowering Tomatillos (from Tyrant Farms) for Salsa Verde.

Austrian Winter Peas (from Tyrant Farms)

Sugar Daddy Peas, Super Snappy & Blue Podded Peas (from Tyrant Farms)

There are 3 varieties of carrots in this pot. (Incl one red cored from Tyrant Farms)

Garden Beans & Royal Burgundy Bush Beans (from Tyrant Farms)

Flowering Peppers (from Tyrant Farms)

So many new experiences thus far due to it being the first year I've sowed from seeds almost my entire deck garden. If you don't know about Grow Journey seeds yet, Google it & be prepared to be enlightened & tempted to take a plunge & give the subscription service a try.

I am not being compensated to talk about Tyrant Farms Grow Journey seeds.  From one year to the next, I've learned so much about what to do to improve each year's gardening experience. Documenting will be key to understanding what was done well & what needs improvement for the next season.

Food Truck Tour Stop: Hola Arepa

Hola Arepa is the fourth Food Truck I've visited this Summer.

They describe themselves as: "A food truck bringing delicious, mostly sustainable Latin cuisine to the streets of Minneapolis." 

A couple of weeks ago my coworker mentioned that she really wanted to try the Arepas at Hola Arepa & I was like: "the what?! What is an Arepa?" You too? Ok, now I don't feel so bad!

So the cornmeal they use to make the patty seems to be a white cornmeal, which I love - I may be totally wrong, but for those of you who need to eat Gluten Free, it's a great way to enjoy a "sandwich" without the traditional bread. It's also a great vegetarian option.

 

So they will take your order & give you a playing card - when the number & suite on your card is called - it's to to eat. Easier than butchering a bunch of strange names.

 

My girlfriend had the Pulled Chicken Arepa, which I was instantly jealous of because the pickled cabbage looked like it could have been pretty tasty. She also chose a side of chips & salsa.

 

Pulled Chicken Arepa - Kadeyan Farms Chicken, Black Beans, Tomato, Salsa Verde & Pickled Cabbage

I tried the Slow-Roasted Pork Arepa with a side of Guacamole.

Fischer Farms Pork, Black beans, Cohja cheese & Special Sauce (I think!)

The juices from the pork oozed out as I went to pick it up to take a bite. I had drizzled a small amount of the med-hot red salsa & I immediately thought I should have added more - I love spicy food. The combination was so very flavorful.  I added another layer by squeezing some of my guacamole over my sandwich as if it wasn't messy enough to eat.

I highly recommend you bring a fork, otherwise you'll be doing a lot of finger-licking as I did.  Grab lots of napkins too. So to no surprise I went back for more the very next day.  It was still hopping - they had brought down an extra person, so they were still turning out orders pretty fast, but there was a line.

This time I tried the Black Bean & Queso Fresco Arepa with tomato & pickled cabbage (yes, I had to try it), then ordered the Chips & Salsa (They had run out of guacamole by the time I arrived.) 

They give you two little cups to hold the salsa, but there was really only room in the little tray for one - I doubt that I would have made it back to the office without a second getting dumped all over my clothes.

It was surprisingly filling for there being no meat.  It was still pretty messy to eat because of the juice in the beans. If I have to choose a favorite, however it would be the Pork. The Vegetarian option could have used a couple more ingredients to add to the layers of flavors. Next time I will add some of the pickled cabbage & a lot more salsa in lieu of the guacamole on top.

I do recommend that people give Hola Arepa a try. It's something totally out of the ordinary & very flavorful.  For the guys you may want to try two Arepas to feel totally satisfied.  For more information, follow them on Twitter or check out their website at http://holaarepa.com.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: My Food Truck Tour Continues: Dandelion Kitchen or Minneapolis Loves A Good Food Truck Vendor

Wordless Wednesday - After the Rain

After a monster storm is my favorite time to capture photos of my garden.  Still waiting to be able to pick much of it, but it's so calming watching the day-to-day progress.  Nature isn't rushed along like the rest of us poor souls. Enjoy...

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Wordless Wednesday - Early Summer Treasures or Spring Plantings - Triumph over Winter to see how far the garden has come. :  )

Wordless Wednesday - Early Summer Treasures

After a long day at the office, 

 and when Munchkin is ready for bed, 

 sometimes I take a minute or two or ten 

& escape by myself to my backyard garden

to enjoy the new blooms -

  such a calming end to the day.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Wordless Wednesday: MN State Fair - Through The Eyes Of My Son or Wordless Wednesday - Summer Fun On A Shoestring Budget

My how you've grown - Wordless Wednesday

My family thinks I'm nuts because I get such pleasure from watching my garden grow...

 These Peppers continue to make this Momma proud.

 Heirloom Tomatoes

 Cherry Tomatoes

And now it's your turn... Grow Baby Grow!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Not So Wordless Wednesday: Sample the Beauty - Mpls Farmers Market or  Wordless Wednesday - Making Spring Rolls w/ Garden Goodness

Lunch via Vellee Deli

For lunch the other day I ventured the 3 blocks over to Marquette & instead of my old faithful spot, I thought I'd try out one of the newer Food Trucks that serve downtown Minneapolis.   Parked between 5th & 6th Street on that day was Vellee Deli. They call themselves creating food that is a fusion of Asian & Mexican.

I had heard that they served fish tacos, but did not have a clue what to expect.

For $7.00 I tried what they call The Kraken which is 2 "tacos" - a beer batter fish filet topped with shredded red cabbage & pico de gallo, served on a couple of cold corn tortillas.

 

They all wore tee shirts that said on the back:

"it's not just good...it's VELLEE GOOD! "

My verdict?!

The portion size was small - I almost wished I would have ordered something else to go along with it.  The presentation was good, however I would have preferred to have it in a box that I could close for the walk back to the office.  Onlookers jealously peered at it as I walked back up the street.

The crunch of the battered fish was a nice contrast to the cold corn tortillas & the toppings were surprisingly flavorful, enough so that I though a portion size of 3 tacos would have been perfect for lunch.

I may have missed the boat with my order because as I stood waiting for my lunch a number of dishes quickly sold out: The Dragon Melt ( a Quesadilla), one of their Burritos, and one of the Baugette sandwiches.

It peaked my taste buds enough to go back another day & give one of the other dishes a try as you know a woman can not nosh on Lobster rolls alone!

I did appreciate that they made their social presence known with the Twitter & Facebook buttons on their truck. If your are interested in viewing their menu - click Vellee Deli & check out their website.  I'm following them on Twitter & you can also @VelleeDeli.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Minneapolis Loves A Good Food Truck Vendor or Happy Mother's Day To Me!